Bulls, planes and Girl Scouts: Wheaton executive looks for next accomplishment

Kathy Hopinkah Hannan of Wheaton has already run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, jumped from an airplane and ran the New York Marathon.

The KPMG global lead partner is still aiming for more milestones.

She is an executive doctoral student at Benedictine University's Center for Values-Driven Leadership in Lisle and recently was named national president and chairwoman of the board for Girl Scouts of the United States of America. She is also the Girl Scouts' first Native American president.

“I'm big on integration,” said Hannan, 53. “Sure I believe in the balance of work and life, but that implies its 50 percent here and 50 percent there, but it's really all about integration.”

Hannan was born and raised in Chicago. Her father is a Hochunk Indian and her mother is Slovak. She started as a young girl with Brownies and Girl Scouts through her local church. As she grew up, there weren't any local troops for her age group.

It wasn't until after she married and had two daughters that she rediscovered Girl Scouts.

Her daughters joined a troop and she became more active in the organization. When she started volunteering on the board, she didn't realize she would one day be the board's leader. But the leadership aspect is good for her daughters and other young women to see, she believes.

“I would love to have an impact,” she said. “I've always been very focused on women and helping to raise their status in organizations.”

Hannan has been recognized as an advocate for women in the workplace throughout her career. In 2011, the Illinois Diversity Council honored her with the Most Powerful and Influential Women Award. Then in 2012, the YWCA Chicago honored her with the Outstanding Business Leader Award. She also was the recent recipient of Diversity Woman Magazine's annual Mosaic Woman Leadership Award.

At KPMG, she is the national managing partner of diversity and corporate responsibility and global lead partner.

While all of these accomplishments are laudable, she always found herself accomplishing other, more offbeat things — like running with the bulls in Spain.

The age-old tradition wasn't something she expected to do, but she had just finished the New York Marathon in 2007 after a dare and only eight weeks of training.

When she arrived in Spain, she learned a man had already died during one of the runs the day before.

“I put on my CPA hat and started adding up the odds of getting killed, and I didn't see it as being that high,” she said.

The next day she set out for the adventure. She said she ran about 30 yards before she quickly decided to press herself up against a building, allowing the bulls to just run by her. There were six bulls and six oxen. “I decided to let the bulls pass,” she said. “I can't out run the bulls.”

About two years later, she decided to jump out of an airplane. She said that most thrill-seekers say that sport of jumping is a “yawner” because you don't get a roller-coaster effect.

“And they're right,” she said. “The air pushes you up and it's like you're floating and you're not scared.”

But these events aren't on your typical board agenda, more like a bucket list.

“It wasn't an intentional bucket list,” she said. “Most of these things were done on dares. I just learned that preparing for these things is all mental. You just pace yourself and be very aware of your body. You can get through it. If you're determined to do something, you can do it.”

Production firm targets kids

A lot of talent from the suburbs is behind Chicago-based Dreaming Tree Films' new WTTW-TV children's series, “Moochie Kalala Detectives Club.” The consulting producer is Bill Natale of Downers Grove, lead actors are Gregory Vasquez from Romeoville and Tim Kazurinsky from Evanston, editor Mike Meyer from Aurora, director Estlin Feigley who grew up in Wheaton, producer Kelli Feigley who grew up in Glen Ellyn, writer Colin Costello who is from Lake Zurich.

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